Enchanting Kraków, Poland

© Diether

This remarkable city straddles the banks of the Vistula River in the foothills of the Tatra Mountains, in the southern part of Poland. Kraków was the seat of the Polish kings and the country’s capital until 1596, when the government moved to Warsaw, a blow from which it is still smarting four centuries later. A prosperous city of 750,000, Kraków is dense with royal monuments and palaces, along with dozens of churches ranging from Gothic to baroque. For an overnight stop in Kraków, we recommend the 53-room Hotel Stary, which occupies an elegant 15th-century townhouse with a neoclassical façade just off of Rynek Glowny. Alert and friendly service, a dramatic indoor pool in the vaulted basement, and rooms that complement the building’s original medieval architecture with sleek, contemporary furniture make this an exceptionally pleasant stay. Perhaps the most telling detail of our last visit: When we went downstairs for a 6 a.m. checkout, they had prepared us unbidden a generous takeaway breakfast of juice, yogurt, bacon-and-egg sandwiches, mineral water and fruit.

UNESCO lists Kraków as one of the world’s top 12 most significant historic sites. For the Poles, it’s Venice, Florence and Rome rolled into one. For visitors, most of whom arrive with few expectations (Poland was locked in a Russian bear hug for 50 years and is still a seldom seen tourist destination), it comes as a delightful surprise. Its historical riches aside, Kraków is also a supremely pleasant city — cultivated, genteel and easy to explore on foot. From the train station, it’s a comfortable walk into the center of the compact Stare Miasto (Old Town), which is surrounded by the handsomely landscaped Planty, the park that replaced the medieval city walls during the early 19th century. Streetcars still rattle along tracks in the cobbled streets of this immaculately maintained city, and the prim, old-fashioned storefronts reinforce the pleasant impression that this is a place where the clock stopped sometime around 1880.

As it has for centuries, Rynek Glowny, Europe’s largest medieval square, remains the city’s vital crossroads. The centerpiece of the slate-paved square is the Sukiennice, a stone market hall rebuilt in the 1550s to house cloth merchants. Today, it contains shops that sell a variety of Polish handicrafts, including wonderful wooden toys and handmade Christmas ornaments.

From the Rynek Glowny, the Ulica (street) Grodzka runs south to Wawel Castle, a fascinating hilltop citadel that features the cathedral where many Polish kings are buried, as well as splendid views overlooking the city. Kraków also has one of the great small museums in Europe. Housed in the stately Czartoryski Palace, the museum of the same name includes ancient Greek and Roman art and dozens of Old Master canvases. Leonardo da Vinci’s stunning Lady with an Ermine is worth the price of admission alone. In a chilling contrast to Kraków’s prevailing elegance and beauty, few other places in Europe more viscerally evoke the horror of World War II than the haunted streets of Kazimierz, the city’s famous Jewish quarter. One of the settings for Steven Spielberg’s celebrated film Schindler’s List, it was the heart of a Jewish community of 64,000 before the war. Today, fewer than 1,000 Jews live in Kraków, but Kazimierz, purposely neglected by Poland’s communist government, is in the midst of a quiet renewal.

Though the sights of Kraków could happily occupy anyone for at least two days, much of the pleasure of this lovely city consists of strolling its streets and sampling its wares. Kraków was once part of the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia, and this era gave the city a taste for Viennese-style cafés, which it has in abundance. Overlooking Rynek Glowny, one of our favorites is E. Wedel, an attractive spot that was founded in 1851 and is locally known for its excellent hot chocolate, ice cream and pastries (Rynek Glowny 46, 48-12-429-4085). To discover just how delicious Polish cooking can be, Restaurant Nostalgia (Ulica Karmelicka 10, 48-12-425-4260) is a charming country-style table just on the edge of Old Town. Unlike more recent restaurant openings in Kraków, many of which attempt international menus with middling success, the kitchen here is happy to serve carefully prepared Polish classics such as pierogi (small dumplings variously stuffed with meat, mushrooms and cheese), potato pancakes, roast duck and other local delicacies. The fireplace dining room at this restaurant is also delightful for a warm meal on a chilly night. Everyone who lives in Kraków has strong opinions on the best place to eat pierogi, a good lunch by themselves, but two addresses we like are Polakowski (Ulica Miodowa 39), a homey restaurant in an old grocery store in the former Jewish quarter, and the busy and very simple Zapiecek Polskie Pierogarnie (Ulica Slawkowska 32).